1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic cameras and more particularly to digital cameras that pick up and record an image of an object such as a print/picture and store it.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, electronic cameras are known that pick up and store an image of a print/picture including characters, figures and images. Such camera comprises a body attached through an arm to a stand on which an object whose image is to be picked up is placed such that the position at which the object image is picked up can be moved without moving the object and the camera body (see Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) H10-229515). In order to correct a deformed image of characters written on a calling card, a postcard, a catalog, a signboard or a bulletin boards and picked up by a digital camera, a method and apparatus is known that extracts and corrects a four-sided figure of the image so as to provide a non-deformed rectangular image (see Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) 2003-58877).
The camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) H10-229515, however, requires a sliding member that moves the position at which the object image is picked up, thereby making the whole camera large-scale. The method and apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) 2003-58877, which refers to correcting a deformed four-sided figure image extracted from the picked-up image so as to provide a non-deformed rectangular image, presupposes correction of the picked-up image. Thus, when the original rectangular image is not picked up in an optimal state, that is, when the picked-up image is too small or when the picked-up image lacks partly, a preferable character image cannot be obtained even by retouching. For example, when the image pickup state of a calling card is bad, the characters printed on the calling card would be unclear. Thus, the whole frame of the calling card can not be extracted as rectangular. Accordingly, when the image of the calling card is picked up, careful pickup operation is required, for example, by finely adjusting the direction of the lens while performing the zooming-in/-out operation, which would impose a large burden on the user.
When a user picks up an image of an object such as a calling card, a post card, a catalogue, a signboard or a bulletin board having characters printed or written thereon, he or she often will have a hard time accommodating the object image in an optimal state within the frame image. Although the image of such object should preferably be picked up in a large size such that the characters may be read clearly, it would be meaningless to pick up an image of such object which is missing a part thereof that protrudes outward beyond the frame image. In order to avoid such situation, the user will peep into the monitor display screen while adjusting the zoom power and the image pickup direction to the respective optimal ones and then operate the shutter. However, if an object has characters of different sizes printed or written thereon, it is very difficult and troublesome to adjust the zoom power and the image pickup direction such that all the character images may be picked up. That is, there is a big possibility of failure in the image pickup.